The Irish standard., 1887-02-05
MOST REv.f. j. MCCORMACK,
Bishop of Achonry, Denounces the Perpetra-
lion Of Injustice Done in tie
Name of the Grown.

blsnop OF Achonry, Uenotnces 1he ferpe5la-
lion Of Injustice Done in tie
Name of the Grown.
HE PROTESTS AGAINST THE
Audacicus Insult Cast Upon the Sligo Catho-
lie Jurors whom He Knows to be
Honest and Honorable Men.
Most Rev. f. j. Mac{~' 'ormack, bishop
of Achonry, wrote this letter to the
Dublin Freeman early last month. 'As
one deeply concerned in the honor and
character of the Catholic jurors Of
South Sligo, so vilely aspersed in the
recent doings of the winter assizes, at
once respond to the timely Call made i'll
your able article Of this day. l hasten
to enter all Indignant protest against
the audacious insult cast upon the Sligo
Catholic jurors of this diocese, whom l
know to be honest and honorable men.
In doing so, I appear as their chief
pastor, and / care not in what name.
or under what sanction, the insult
has been heaped npon them, ], never
tleless, reprobate the outrage as a
scandalous slight and slander upon
these ill-treated Jurors. This outrage
upon q Catholic body has been COM
rnitted in the name of the crown. 1t is
all the more reprehensible when perpe~
trated under the high sounding forms
Of law. The scandal of the Sligo jury
panel was but just dragging its Shiny
form away from the public gaze and
howl of reprobsrion when this fresh
and more insidious creature reveals
it's ugly form TO the amazement Of the
public and disgust OF every right-think-
ing mind. I make bold to arraign the
the crown before the bar Of public
opinion, and T. feel confident as to THE
verdict. Does the crown think that
DEEP-DYED INSULT
to creed can make the people OF that
creed loyal to the crown? It is now
fashionable to talk of agitators as
setting class against class; but what
about the crown setting creed
against creed? Is there no word
of reprobati0n for this deeper guilt:
Here is g case in point. "A Woodford
Catholic prisoner in Sligo dock sees I'LL
his co-religionist Jurors set aside by tlle
crowia, and twelve Catholics called
to Try him. Il say try, when the word
convict is the one; but let that pass)
The prisoners counsel very properly
resents the action of the crown, remark
ing that the conduct Of the crown was
equivalent TO branding every rejected
Papiss as a p.ljurer. Now, how could
that poor Papist prisoner have any con-
sideace in the administration Of sucti
forms Of law, when he sees these things
occur in She nanse of the crown? With
the prisoners recollections of the recent
his Dry Of Belfast, how could he possibly
feel that his liberty was in safe-keeping
in the hands Of twelve picked Protes-
tant juroTs? But perhaps the crown
has been driving at an even keel
throughout the winter assize in all the
provinces. What are the records Of
jury packing i'll Omagh? Were twelve
Catholic jurors picked out OF the Tyrone
panel to try the elder and junior Walk
e1s, who were seen by the multitude TAX
ing their deadly aim at the head con-
Stable and soldier? No, no; nothing Of
tie sort. An
OVERWHELMINGLY PROTESTANT JlJHY
nay, all Orange jury. was selected. and
though Judge Lawson threw up his
eyes in pious horror, yet that jury re-
fused to convict in the teeth of che clear
est aud most conclusive evidence.
Surely, to reject Catholic jurors in Sligo
for men of the same true-blue brand
is about as unblushing feat of auda-
city as any Crowd official could have the
effrontery Of perpetrating. But, one
may ask, how on earth can the rulers Of
this country be go blind as to look for
loyalty amongst people so spat upon?
No wonder that disaffection and disloy-
atty should be so rife in q country SO
outraged, and amongst a class and creed
treated to such degradation in the name
of the crown. More than a quarter of
century since a learned EAgiishman
wrote That the history of ireland was
protracted agony" at the hands OF
their alien rulers. Were that honest
Britain now alive, and pen in hand.
would he not still testify to the ct'iel
agony? Alas! how long shall it last?
And the Englishman of twenty five
years back has been indorsed by
Freedman, who has just given his
jottings as journalist visitor, and has
spoken of the administration OF the law
as the ''most lawless thing" he wit
messed in Ireland. And the mouth